Crude oil is getting crushed, but one expert sees year-end rally

CNBC

Crude oil just posted its worst week since July as a surging dollar, slowing emerging markets and supply concerns have all weighed on the commodity. But despite the price declines, one commodities trader sees a rally in the cards.

Bill Baruch, president of Blue Line Futures, told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Thursday what investors can expect next. Here’s what he said.

· A bearish inventory report earlier in the week pushed oil down to its lowest level since June, but crude bulls still have reasons to feel good. For instance, it’s easy to forget crude oil is still trading near multiyear highs, with a gain of 9 percent year to date and 40 percent in the last 12 months.

· One of the biggest stories weighing on crude may be set to dissipate and take some pressure off the commodity: trade tension between the U.S. and China. We may see meaningful headway on trade over the coming weeks, and fears of slowing growth in China may be alleviated.

· My biggest concern, however, is spare capacity. Saudi Arabia promised to ramp up crude production in July, but it actually fell 200,000 barrels per day. Still, the U.S. estimated that production in the lower 48 states has stalled over the last three weeks, and tighter spare capacity can be extremely bullish.

· During this seasonally weak time for crude, investors should look to buy pullbacks; the technical picture should support this strategy. There is tremendous support from $62.50 to $64.50 per barrel, and oil should be positioned to rally back up to between $70 and $80 per barrel later this year. The key level to the downside would be $62.